I believe your hands are a huge part of the first impression you make on someone. Therefore I find taking good care of them and of my nails and important part of my daily beauty chores. In this post I want to share with you the nail care routine that has worked great for me in the past months.

Welcome back to another monthly episode of the Paciugopedia 3! If you’re new around here, in this series each month the participants reproduce makeup looks from other bloggers/makeup artists on their own eye shape, skin tone and with the products to them available. You find the other episodes here and can read the introduction from the creator of the series BeautyBats here.

While I was re-organizing my makeup a few weeks ago I came across a box full of loose pigments that have been abandoned there for months if not years and the reason is simple laziness on my part. Because pigments are messy, they take more time and effort to apply than regular eyeshadows and I just cannot bring myself to use them. So when I had a sudden instinct to buy more eyeshadows the other day, I remembered of my pigments instead and decided to make myself new eyeshadows by pressing the pigments in pans and adding them to my Z-Palettes. The process is quite simple and with a bit of online research and key props anyone can press their pigments to eyeshadow pans in no time. Let me guide you through it.

I have been hiding at home writing my thesis and as soon as I resurface I find that one of my favorite super affordable drugstrore brands released a full new range of makeup brushes. I am talking about the Essence Make Me Pretty Limited Edition. A full collection of 9 bright colored brushes, a brush cleanser and a brush holder. I couldn’t pass the opportunity and picked up 6 brushes and the brush holder and want to share my first impressions with you, in case you still want to pick them up.

On the occasional adventure when I have to do someone else’s makeup, I have really been missing a good brush holder, since I usually have to bring my own plastic cups to put the brushes in. I am so happy to have found one at the drugstore without having to order expensive ones online. The Essence Make Me Pretty Brush Holder is PVC-covered cardboard in a bright teal color that is just adorable! It feels sturdy and fits at least 12 small brushes, maybe a bit less if you add the thicker face ones. It was just what I needed and for just 4.60€ you cannot really go wrong.

Let’s talk about the brushes. They are all made from synthetic bristles and at first impression feel very soft, well cut and well balanced. They don’t feel “cheap” but also nothing special. As a comparison, I would say they are definitely under the quality of Zoeva brushes but on the same level as E.l.f. ones. They come in the cutest packaging, with bright colors and inspirational quotes on the envelopes they come in.

First let’s look at the smaller brushes. I picked up the Precise eyeshadow brush is a very pointy and stiff brush. I was expecting it to be fluffy once out of the packaging but it retains the very pointy shape. I was quite puzzled by how to use it, since the bristles are too long for a pencil brush, but I finally decide to use it to try a cut crease for the first time and it worked quite nicely to keep the crease clean and precise. I have more experimenting to do, but it is a thumbs up for me. The one I was the most excited about was the Eyeshadow Blender Brush, which has flat and short britles and looks so much like the Zoeva Smudger brush that I’ve been eyeing lately. This is perfect to smudge and blend liner and shadows under the eye, thanks to the right stiffness of the bristles. Best one of the collection. Finally I got the Lip Brush, because one can never have enough lip brushes, especially in this season of dark vampy lips (and my obsession with them). The precisely cut bristles make it great to contour the lips. I have nothing bad to say about it, it’s a very valid purchase.

There are three face brushes in the collection, all catered to powder products. The Powder and Highlighter Brush is a big fluffy brush with a flat profile and fanned out bristles. It is perfect to pick up a small amount of powder and cover quickly the large areas of the face. For highlighter I find it slightly too big for my (non existent) cheekbones and I will keep using my Real Techniques fan brush or setting brush. The beautiful mint/turquoise brush is the Bronzer Brush. This is a round dense brush that is way to stiff to apply bronzer in my opinion. It reminds me a bit of the Real Techniques Buffing brush, so I am waiting to try it with a cream product. Now the one I am most excited about is the Blush Brush, with its slanted cut and dense bristles, I found it perfect to apply and blend my contour.

There are a few other bits that I didn’t pick up (yet?) which include the Multi use eyeshadow brush, a multi-brush type of contraption that reminded me too much of some markers I had as a kid (?), the Eyebrow Comb, with spoolie and plastic comb )which I´m not a fan of’, the Concealer Brush and the Liquid Brush Cleanser, which I´ll take a closer look to in my next trip to Kruidvat.

I find the brushes to be the same quality as the ones from the permanent collection, of which I am quite fond. In fact I have at least Essence 7 eye brushes in my daily stash. All the brushes range in price from 1.90 to 3.50€, with the brush holder being the most expensive item at 4.60€. I definitely recommend checking this limited edition out if you’re in the market for some affordable makeup brushes, because there are some gems in the collection, especially the Eyeshadow Blender, Lip and Blush brushes. They are available at your local drugstore that carries Essence, which is Kruidvat in The Netherlands.

Have you spotted this new limited edition from Essence? Which brushes strike you the most?

Blue eyeshadow, a myth or a nightmare for many, it is a game changer in any makeup look. I find myself reaching for it as soon as the first sun comes out in spring and wear it constantly all through summer. Therefore when I saw the new Essence all about..deepsea palette staring at me in the drugstore, I knew I had to have it!

Good morning beauties and happy Monday! Today we’re talking about a topic that is really close to my heart: brows. They have been all the rage these past year and still going strong all over instagram and the blogosphere. From ombre brows, to sculpted brows to natural brows, there’s something for every style, and here are my top 5 brow products to achieve your perfect brow.

Springtime is exciting for many reasons and one of them is new launches from cosmetic brands. Being a drugstore girl at heart, that’s where I went as soon as the new additions to the permanent collection from Catrice and Essence came out. I am a big fan of both these affordable brands and always on the hunt for great products. What really hit me was that most of the new bits were centering on a nude effect.

Today I bring to you two gorgeous and exceptionally affordable eyeshadow palettes from Essence: All about Sunrise and All about Paradise. Each palette contains 6 eyeshadows and you can find these and 2 more of this range in Kruidvat or your local drugstore for 3.59€, hardly beatable is it?

Let’s take a look at these babies!

Essence all about sunrise (left) and all about paradise (right)

Swatches Essence All about Sunrise

Starting from the more neutral palette, Essence All about Sunrise has all the shimmering goodness that you’ll ever want ranging from gorgeous champagne to golds and bronze colors. Starting from the top left you get a bright champagne, a lovely peach and a pinky-light brown. On the bottom row instead two golds with different undertones and a darker warm brown. I adore this palette and it is packed with a lot for shades I use on a daily basis in combination with a few matte shades from other palettes. Typically I put the first shade on the top in the inner eye as highlight and then any of the other shades all over the lid in combination with a matte brown in the crease. Really happy with this one!

Swatches Essence All about Paradise

Second let’s look at this gorgeous colored palette! In the Essence All about Paradise palette you get your champagne highlight color and then a peach and a bright fuchsia on the top row, while on the bottom we find some seriously pigmented yellow, teal and blue. I was very surprised to find such bright colored palette in the drugstore and with such good quality and pigmentation! This is a great palette also for those of you who don’t wear colors too often but need something for those sunny days when you do!

Overall I really recommend these two palettes and for the price you cannot really go wrong! The quality and the pigmentation are really good and really impressed me for eyeshadows from the drugstore!

We’re all mad here

Welcome to my little corner of Beauty Madness, I'm Alice! I'm a beauty addict, fitgirl, rock singer and Italian cooking mama.I am an eternal expat, currently living in the US, battling bad weather and blues with colorful makeup and a smile! Take a look around and if you feel like it let me know your thoughts!